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Politics and Culture in Plain Talk.
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We are not there yet.
We are at a point now where some are speculating that the president’s mind and his administration’s experiment in authoritarianism are unravelling, that perhaps the pendulum has swung as far as it can and political gravity will now accelerate it back toward equilibrium.
I am a glass-half-full person in general and want to say that a swing toward sanity and decency is imminent, but I am also experiencing some serious déjà vu from Trump’s first term when his approval ratings were dismal and armchair neurologists and psychiatrists were pointing out his cognitive decline. Yes, the president is falling asleep in meetings, posting nonsense on social media, and babbling nonsensically in public comments, but this is the guy who talked—in a nationally televised presidential debate—about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs. Not much has changed.
Still, I am optimistic. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have yet to reap the whirlwind, though there must be a gale blowing through Pete Hegseth’s gelled-up hair, and Kristi Noem may be feeling a breeze. The American people are reaping the whirlwind of the 2024 election, and it will likely get worse as the executive branch continues to sow the wind with incompetence and cruelty.
I recently shared parts of an earlier post that was prescient regarding war crimes. I was about to do that again this morning but decided instead to share a speech I gave at a fundraiser at the end of October, while we were still in a government shutdown. (My wife loves it when I call audibles at the last minute.) Here is that speech minus the ad lib stuff I always do at the beginning:
In my life, I have received a couple of compliments that have really stuck with me.
The first was from a freshman who I tutored in study hall when I was a senior in high school. One day she said, “You’re so smart, but you never make me feel dumb.”
The second compliment came from an Iraqi man who sought me out at my unit’s headquarters in Al Kut, Iraq in the summer of 2003. He had information about weapons stores that he wanted to deliver to me personally. As we sat down to talk, he said, “Major Hammer, I hear that you are a good and moral man.”
I remember these compliments because they speak to character, and because I believe that
Intelligence without humility or cleverness without kindness leads to con men, conniving corporate climbers, and various other jerks.
Strength without compassion and composure creates bullies and barbarians.
Charisma without character tends toward tyranny.
That man in Iraq came to me not because of my rank and position, but because he saw how my Marines and I conducted ourselves in my sector on the east side of the Tigris River. We treated the local population with respect. Marines never let their rifles point at each other, and my unit extended the same courtesy to the Iraqis we encountered on patrol. In fact, we made a show of not letting our rifles point at them. It was a small thing that said a lot. It built trust and made the community feel safer.
On the other side of the river, another unit did not project that kind of courtesy and respect. One night, they needlessly killed an Iraqi man, his wife and their son. That incident prompted the division commander, General Mattis, to come speak to us about returning with honor.
Honor, courage, and commitment are the Marine Corps three core values, and they are far more important than intelligence, strength, or charisma.
I believe that you are here because you are good and moral people who want a good and moral country.
You recognize that we must be a good and moral country before we can dare to call ourselves great.
We care about virtue, and that is why I believe that we will win. Because I have lived and worked all over the world and know in my heart that the vast majority of people are good, and now many good Americans have begun to pay attention. That is the Republican Achilles’ heel.
I believe that we will win because we have honor and Americans see that the other side does not.
They don’t treat others honorably.
They don’t tell the truth.
They don’t speak to us in good faith or with good will.
There is no honor in a drone strike on a boat in international waters.
There is no honor in painting those you disagree with as terrorists.
There is no honor in name-calling.
North Dakota Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak dishonors herself when she repeats Republican lies about the shutdown.
Senator Cramer dishonors himself when he calls North Dakotans at a protest “crazy left-wing nutjobs.”
Senator Hoeven dishonors himself when he takes the podium at a rally to spread lies about election fraud.
Honor does not mean always being nice or not attacking. In fact, it requires criticism and attacks on those who have disposed of honor in favor of power.
I believe that we will win because we have moral courage and North Dakotans are seeing that the other side does not.
They won’t take a stand against any abuse.
They won’t be the strong, clear voice we had in Senator Byron Dorgan.
They quiver in fear of losing their status and position.
There is no courage in a drone strike on a boat in international waters. There is no courage in voting how Mike Johnson tells you to vote. Senators Cramer and Hoeven and Congresswoman Fedorchak show a lack of courage when they refuse to schedule in-person townhall meetings.
I believe that we will win as long as we have the courage to speak our truth and lead with our values.
Inside Memorial Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, there is a cased flag. It’s blue with the words, “Don’t give up the ship” stitched on it in white. It is a statement of commitment and perseverance and the last words of Captain James Lawrence as he lay dying on the deck of his ship during the war of 1812. I believe that we will win because we are committed and everybody can see that the other side is not.
A committed Congress would be in session right now. North Dakota’s Representative in Congress should be demanding exactly that, loudly and in public.
A committed Congress would not cede its power to the executive branch or honor a fake emergency.
A committed Congress would remind the White House that it is Congress that levies tariff’s and it is Congress that holds the power to declare war.
Alas, they lack commitment,
With commitment, and together, we will win. It won’t take a huge commitment. We can all do some little thing,
Like showing up here.
Like knocking doors or making phone calls.
Like talking to our neighbors.
There is a call and response cheer that began at the Naval Academy prep school. It is the “I believe” cheer that you may have heard in an ad or at a sporting event. You wouldn’t believe the energy in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial stadium at the end of that cheer when 4000 midshipmen are jumping up and down and shouting “I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN, I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN.”
That’s the energy we will need. As we go forward with honor, courage, and commitment, I hope you will have those words ringing in your ears, that you wake up thinking “I believe that we will win.”
It’s okay if you need a cup of coffee first.
Thank you.
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